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It's pretty hard to prick yourself where the Geocache would be located, there aren't any spikes near the hole.

Remember just because it's obvious where it is to you, it doesn't mean it's obvious to people going in blind. And even if it is obvious, we all have those days when we miss the obvious and spend twenty minutes poking around in thorns/ivy/etc.

I would say think about why you are hiding it there?

High D/T cache? If so could well be good choice.

Something interesting about the cactus? If so fair enough, whole point of being a CO, you hide things in areas you find interesting.

However, if it's hiding it simply so cachers think they will get pricked, I would say leave a very good hint or consider if it's a good place. We could all hide caches where, for instance, people are likely to step on dog poo, however for lower D/T caches I think putting gratuitous hazards in the way is somewhat strange, especially as lower D/T caches are likely to attract young families.

Ultimately the decision is yours though. You own the cache. You're investing your time, energy and money into creating and maintaining the cache. Ultimately the cache should be something you would like to find first, and something you think others would like to find second. Personally I would rather find your planned cache than nano. You can't please all the cachers all the time

Something interesting about the cactus? If so fair enough, whole point of being a CO, you hide things in areas you find interesting.

However, if it's hiding it simply so cachers think they will get pricked, I would say leave a very good hint or consider if it's a good place. We could all hide caches where, for instance, people are likely to step on dog poo, however for lower D/T caches I think putting gratuitous hazards in the way is somewhat strange, especially as lower D/T caches are likely to attract young families.

Yes, if finders have to do something unpleasant to reach the cache, there has to be reward for that beyond just a +1 smiley. I have a cache (a T4) that requires a fair bit of climbing and bush-bashing through thick scrub to reach, but the view at GZ is pretty stunning and, judging from the logs and its 72% FPs, most finders think it's worth all the effort and scratches. By contrast, there's a T3.5 cache up north that has a similar amount of climbing and thick scrub just to reach a disintegrating plastic box stuck under a nondescript bush in the middle of it. "Scathing" is probably a good description of many of its logs.

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While living in Tennessee, I've found two caches placed on or in poison ivy. Like, one of them was hanging from the vine. Pretty astonishing. I'd probably rather find one in a cactus. Although I'm not sensitive to poison ivy, my husband is very allergic.

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I've found a cache in the hollow at the base of a giant Saguaro cactus (in Arizona) - not a fun place to search, and those spikes HURT! The cache is findable and retrievable without getting hurt, but that's only once you know where it is...

6 hours ago, daddybeth said:

Remember just because it's obvious where it is to you, it doesn't mean it's obvious to people going in blind.

The up side? It's probably not going to be found by muggles!

39 minutes ago, Ambrosia said:

While living in Tennessee, I've found two caches placed on or in poison ivy. Like, one of them was hanging from the vine. Pretty astonishing. I'd probably rather find one in a cactus. Although I'm not sensitive to poison ivy, my husband is very allergic.

I'm sensitive to Poison Oak, which grows in abundance along the hiking trails and neighborhoods where I live. I'm amazed at some of the hides at the base of trees and in brush that is covered with PO. Granted, it may not have been there when the cache was hidden, but once the CO knows about it (and it's often mentioned in logs) it seems they would move it or change the hide so you don't need to get near it. If I see PO near where I am searching, I'll back off and let others search, or just write a note and move on. Dealing with days of rash and itch is not worth a smilie, in my book!

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OP, more people than not these days want easy peasy so don't worry about the negativity you're seeing here about thorns and such. If you like the idea and/or you want the cache to be challenging, then go for it. Just make sure the cactus is in an area that geocaches are allowed and that it's alright for people to come in contact with the cactus. The hole should already be in place (it's not ok to make the hole yourself). Contact the property owner/land manager/city if you have any doubts are questions.

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While living in Tennessee, I've found two caches placed on or in poison ivy. Like, one of them was hanging from the vine. Pretty astonishing. I'd probably rather find one in a cactus. Although I'm not sensitive to poison ivy, my husband is very allergic.

That so wrong, as that expects that everyone knows what poison ivy looks like. As a non-American (who has visited the USA several times and cached there), I wouldn't have a clue what it looks like. I was careful around ivy looking plants though. That would be like me placing a cache among the leaves of a stinging tree here. That I would give a 5T for, but still that expects that foreigners and even all Australians would recognise stinging tree, as it doesn't grow everywhere. I could only recognise it because I lived where it grew, and I kept a good distance from it. I would never place a cache on such a dangerous plant. Caches shouldn't be put anywhere near dangerous plants, as some people react more to them then others, and some people die.

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Remember just because it's obvious where it is to you, it doesn't mean it's obvious to people going in blind. And even if it is obvious, we all have those days when we miss the obvious and spend twenty minutes poking around in thorns/ivy/etc.

Very good point. Yes many COs don't appear to recognise that. (Not saying this is the case here.)

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That so wrong, as that expects that everyone knows what poison ivy looks like. As a non-American (who has visited the USA several times and cached there), I wouldn't have a clue what it looks like. I was careful around ivy looking plants though. That would be like me placing a cache among the leaves of a stinging tree here. That I would give a 5T for, but still that expects that foreigners and even all Australians would recognise stinging tree, as it doesn't grow everywhere. I could only recognise it because I lived where it grew, and I kept a good distance from it. I would never place a cache on such a dangerous plant. Caches shouldn't be put anywhere near dangerous plants, as some people react more to them then others, and some people die.

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I read about it recently in a bushwalking magazine. They called it the suicide tree because some of its victims take their own life because of the unrelenting pain of its stings. I think I'll stick to the beaches when I go to Queensland.

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I read about it recently in a bushwalking magazine. They called it the suicide tree because some of its victims take their own life because of the unrelenting pain of its stings. I think I'll stick to the beaches when I go to Queensland.

I used to live in northern NSW and we had it in the forests. Very common. I can remember on a school excursion to the forest a couple of the boys jousting with a twigs with a stinging tree leaf on the end of each of them. It appears holding the twigs is okay; it's only the leaves, but I personally never tested this. Silly, silly kids! The pain could last for months...or worse.

Just put on shoes to avoid leaf litter and don't touch furry leaves leaves with insect damage. I used to go bare footed a lot growing up, but not in the rainforest.